New vehicles today can warn you if there’s someone in your blind spot, if you’re too close to the vehicle in front, or if you’re breaking the speed limit. Cars are safer and more high-tech than they’ve ever been. Active driver assistance systems like automatic emergency braking can even help prevent or reduce the severity of a collision without any input from the driver. These are all incredible innovations, but with driver aids becoming commonplace, it can be easy to forget the fundamentals of driving safety because the car does it all for us.
The basic rules of the road still apply, but we still see so many drivers who seem to have little regard for the safety of others or themselves on the road. Even a small car can weigh upwards of 1,300 kg, and when they’re moving at highway speeds, the potential energy stored within them is comparable to a bomb. We all have to share the road, and it’s up to us to understand the responsibility involved in getting behind the wheel and consider safe driving practices. Here are some unsafe things drivers do regularly and tips on improving.
Signalling When a Vehicle is in Your Blind Spot
This one is all too common, and it startles me every time I encounter it. Using turn signals is an essential part of safe driving and is one of the few methods drivers can use to communicate their intentions to drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and more. The proper way to signal a lane change is to check your blind spot to ensure the lane is clear, activate your turn signal, and then make the lane change safely.
It seems simple, but many drivers get this wrong because they signal before checking their blind spot. If there’s a car approaching from behind, that driver might think you are about to drive right into them. A flashing signal means a lane change or turn is imminent or in process. Yes, there are exceptions, like in gridlock, where you have to try to squeeze into small gaps, but when moving at a steady flow, look over your shoulder to check your blind spot first, and then signal. It’s safer this way.
Not Pulling Over for Emergency Vehicles or Giving Them Enough Space
If an emergency vehicle is approaching from either direction while you’re travelling on an undivided road, you must pull over to the right. It’s a simple rule that ensures vehicles like ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars can get to where they need to go as quickly as possible during an emergency. Many times, drivers barely even slow down, let alone pull over. I’ve even seen drivers pass ambulances with their sirens blaring, which is unbelievably foolish and selfish. Once the emergency vehicle passes, you are still required to give them space. Most have signage telling drivers to keep a distance of at least 150 metres, yet few actually do this.
Hogging the Left Lane
Strictly forbidden in countries like Germany, passing on the right happens so frequently here that it seems normal, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. It all comes down to a complete lack of lane etiquette, which few drivers here seem to possess. The law states that on a divided highway, we drive in the right lane and leave the left lane open for passing or overtaking slower vehicles. When done correctly, it can ease traffic congestion and is a much safer way of driving. However, left-lane hogs are all too common and typically block those behind from passing, which ultimately causes them to pass on the right. No matter how tempting, passing on the right should never be done. It becomes particularly dangerous when there are vehicles exiting the highway.
Improper Use of Hazard Lights
The proper use of four-way flashers or hazard lights can be a point of debate, but it shouldn’t be. We should only use hazard lights when stopped or pulled over on the side of the road — never when moving. Hazard lights indicate that there might be an issue and alerts other drivers to leave more room or offer assistance. Putting your hazard lights on when driving on an unfamiliar road or when the weather is bad is unsafe because it renders your turn signals ineffective. We must remember that turn signals and four-way flashers are visual communication devices and must be used appropriately. In some scenarios, it’s acceptable if traffic in front comes to an abrupt stop and you use your hazard lights momentarily to warn drivers behind of the slowdown.
Improper Merging
Merging early on a solid line, running out of room at the shoulder, or coming to a complete stop in a merge lane happens way more often than it should. Onramps are there to help drivers reach highway speeds and safely merge with the flow of traffic, but many drivers enter too fast or too slowly, causing other drivers to either slow down, speed up, or switch lanes to get out of their way.
Things get even worse when multiple lanes converge into one, and a long line builds while drivers on either side try to squeeze in and jostle for position into the open lane. But it shouldn’t be this way because long lines of cars can quickly become unsafe, and the chances of rear-end collisions increase dramatically.
If you practice the zipper merge, you’re ahead of the game. Instead of merging early and waiting in a line, you merge right before the lane ends. While it might appear like butting in front, it’s actually the correct and safest thing to do because it uses all the available road space, helping prevent a line from forming. But it also takes cooperation from other drivers already in the lane — drivers must take turns letting cars merge into the open lane so everyone gets to where they need to be faster. The zipper merge simply makes the most sense and is the most fair, safe, and orderly way to merge.
